The Autumn Defense headed to Narrows with songs from new album

The band is a side project of Wilco members Patrick Sansone and John Stirratt

FALL RIVER - Area fans of The Autumn Defense will have the opportunity to see the pop band perform songs from their latest album at the Narrows Center for the Arts on Feb. 7.

A side project of Wilco members Patrick Sansone and John Stirratt, The Autumn Defense just released its latest album, “Fifth,” on Tuesday.

“It’s been going really well,” said Sansone on Monday, a day before the official release of the fifth album from The Autumn Defense. “The reaction so far has been very positive.”

In support of the new 12-track album, Sansone and Stirratt are taking a break from their busy touring schedule with Wilco, and performing a series of shows in the United States, including the upcoming show at the Narrows. They started out this year with three shows in Japan, where Sansone said the new songs were a hit with fans there.

Unlike their previous four albums, which were recorded with various friends and studio musicians, this album was recorded with some special guests, as well as the members of The Autumn Defense’s live band: James “Hags” Haggerty on bass, Greg Wieczoreck on drums and John Pirrucello on electric guitar and pedal steel.

“I was really happy to be able to work with them in the studio. It still sounds like an Autumn Defense album, it has the usual influences, but it also has more of an ensemble sound,” said Sansone. “It has more of a cohesive quality to the tracks; it sounds more like a group of musicians who are used to playing together rather than a studio production.”

Sansone, a guitarist with Wilco, and Stirratt, Wilco’s bassist, used their time off from the internationally touring band to record “Fifth” in Chicago over the past year. Both multi-instrumentalists with experience in production and songwriting, Sansone and Stirratt worked on songs separately and then brought them into the studio to work on them together, said Sansone.

This album, like the four before it, draws on the duo’s preference for songs with layered arrangements and strong songwriting. Their musical influences, said Sansone, include The Beatles and Beach Boys. “It’s sort of a combo of things we like: California early ‘70s soft rock and the Kinks and The Beatles.”

Sansone, who joined Wilco in 2004, founded The Autumn Defense with Stirratt, an original member of Wilco in 1999. They put out their first album, “The Green Hour,” in 2000.

For The Autumn Defense’s first show at the Narrows, he said there may be a surprise guest or two, but the lineup will definitely include himself and Stirratt, along with Haggerty and Wieczoreck, who also performs with Norah Jones.

“It should be a great show,” said Narrows Executive Director Patrick Norton. “Wilco is one of the top touring bands in the country and they’re taking part of this year off to promote their side project. It’s a great album with orchestral touches to it; really good vocals and interesting arrangements.”

The album, on Yep Roc Records, is available for download on the Yeb Roc Records’ website as well as iTunes.

The Narrows is located at 16 Anawan St., Fall River. For tickets and more information about the upcoming show at the Narrows, visit www.narrowscenter.org.